The Legend of the Cothica
by Zak Saturday
Summary: Tom and his friends get caught up in another adventure; one that might not just determine the fate of all of Perim, but possibly Chaotic as well! Tom Majors, meet... the Cothica! Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

WELCOME! Welcome, to my newest fanfic. This one about Chaotic!

Here is is general summary! There is a great evil out there that reveals that the Cothica is a living being! This evil known as Thade, wishes to destroy all of Perim so that he can take over Chaotic!

Cothica herself chooses five humans to save all of Perim, and, Chaotic. Those humans are... Tom and his friends!?

Read these stories of Tom, Kaz, Sarah, Payton, and their newest friend, Tyson as they go on epic adventures to save Cothica and Perim from Thade and his negative power!

You are all interested, I can tell. I will add new characters (O.C.s like Tyson and other characters from the show like Klay and Krycella) whenever need be. And by the way I will make some of the episodes crossovers with other shows:

Ben 10: Omniverse

Generator Rex

The Secret Saturdays

Wild Kratts

Dan VS (I will be making an O.C. Based on Dan)

The Legion of Superheroes (Cartoon) (I'll explain this once the bridge is crossed)


	2. Story Update

Since it might take a while for Soultrancer to finish sending me chapter one. Don't worry; he said it would be sent to me on Wednesday of April 10th, so I should be able to post it sometime during the week. However I would like to update the Crossover list so that I may include the characters from each series. I hope this list suits your interests. The character names will be underlined.

"Ben 10: Omniverse": Ben Tennyson. Gwen Tennyson. Rook Blonko (Name in Asian order; Blonko is his general name and Rook is his surname). Some Unknown energy is distorting a section of Bellwood Forest. Ben and Gwen go to investigate and Discover a simple portal. They end up in Tom's world. Cothica intended this so that these two may help Tom and his friends. Eventually Rook is brought along. You can imagine the look on Payton's face at the realization that he is meeting an alien…

"Generator Rex": Rex Salazar. Noah Nixon. Caesar Salazar (Name pronunciation should not be confused with that of Roman Emperor, Julius Cesar). Beverly Holiday. …Cothica also did the same thing in the EVO world, creating a portal in the fields at Rex's family farm (which he, Caesar, Noah, Claire, Annie, and Beverly were restoring at the time).

"The Secret Saturdays": Zak Saturday (in this fanfic, and I hope Soultrancer will accept this idea, Zak is the one who let slip the secret of Dranicus Threshold, not Shane, aka SamShady. He was the second person (excluding Tom and his friends) to discover the secret of the Threshold, the first being Shane).Solomon "Doc" Saturday. Drew Saturday. Doyle Blackwell, Fiskerton Saturday (In Chaotic and in Perim, Fisk dons a human appearance.) The Codemasters are informed by Tom and his friends under Cothica's request. They look to specific Chaotic players and found information on Zak. They then did some research and found out about the Secret Scientists. Eventually, they manage to enlist the aid of the Secret Scientists.

"Wild Kratts": I often portray the Wild Kratts team as teenagers. I will do so again for this fanfic. Chris Kratt. Martin Kratt. Aviva (I forget how to spell her last name). Jimmy Z. Koki (Mentioned only). Zack Varmitech (In this fanfic he will be called Zerik instead). A: Chris, Martin (age 14 and 18 prospectively; in real life they are 4 years apart in age, and I would like to keep it that way in the stories), Aviva (16), and Jimmy (15), are all Chaotic players (Koki doesn't play online so she doesn't have a transport code). One day Chris spots Tom and- well, that would be spoilers would it. I won't say anymore about it (except for you Soultrancer; you're my co-Author). What I can say is that both Tom and Chris both want to scan Yokkus, very badly. B: Zerik is a Chaotic player himself; he usually hates the concept of being in mother nature, but somehow he is fierce in the Dromes. He becomes friends with Klay and Krystella.

"Dan VS": The O.C. that will be based on Dan will be called Alex. He will be Jyscella's boyfriend. He is described by Krystella as the only flaw in Jyscella's otherwise "perfect view." Like the character he is based off of, Alex has a lot of anger issues, and is skilled when it comes to the concept of revenge.

Again I might be able to bring up the actual Chapter One on Wednesday, but I can't make any promises. Later.


	3. A New Player part 1

I finally have Chapter one out! YAY! Enjoy; you deserve it after the long wait! ;-)

Ch-1: A New Player; Part 1

(3rd Person POV- Maxxor)

Maxxor stared at the piece of paper that lay before him, confusion marring his green, human-esque face. His heavy brow was furrowed over his small nose and his mouth was turned downwards in a grimace as a purple marked hand stroked his chin. This was a most unusual predicament and didn't make any sense.

Maxxor,

Doors of the Deepmines.

Come alone,

Chaor.

"What are you going to do, Maxxor?" Intress, a female with short orange/brown fur with darker stripe like markings asked with concern, "You can't risk going alone into the Underworld. Knowing Chaor he's planned an ambush." she continued and let out a growl while she crossed her arms over her chest which was covered by two strips of rough cloth. The green creature rubbed his temples before dragging his hand down his face in an attempt to soothe himself. It didn't work.

"No, Chaor would want to defeat me and take over Kiru city by himself. Maybe before the M'arrillians invaded Perim and we were forced to work together but not now." He defended his mortal enemy much to the surprise of the other two occupants in the room. "Still you are right Intress, it would be foolish to wander into the Underworld alone. But do I have a choice?" Maxxor asked in a tired tone of voice.

"You said yourself that it was strange for Chaor to send a message like this. How do you know that it is not an impostor trying to lure you into a trap by merely using Chaor's name?" the second occupant, the Overworlders' most powerful mugician Najarin posed, "Something is not right and I believe that we need to tread carefully to avoid springing any hidden traps. Unfortunately Maxxor that means you must accept this invitation. Intress, you should accompany him but keep out of sight unless you are needed. You should use the Telebracers to teleport to the Deepmines undetected in case there are traps along the way." the bearded blue-skinned creature stated and when both parties seemed to be in agreeance, physical preparations proceeded to be made.

(Chaor)

"Maxxor wants to meet at the Deepmines?" a large red demon-like creature growled as he lounged in an equally large throne, "Something's off. This smells like M'arrillian scum." he snarled crumpling the note into a ball with the clawed hand he held it in, "Obviously they have forgotten that I am the most powerful Underworlder alive and also one of the three who brought down their pathetic leader." a fear inducing grin split his already fearsome face. He would take the bait but this time, he would be fully prepared. "Takinom, grab the most powerful mugic that you can, we're meeting Maxxor at the Deepmines."

(Maxxor)

Arriving at the intended destination Maxxor looked around warily ready for any surprises or creatures that thought he looked ripe for the picking. Rounding a corner the Doors of the Deepmines stood open and beckoned to any who were foolish enough to enter. The four guards that always stood vigilant were missing and although Maxxor searched the entire area, he could find no trace of them.

Chaor was also absent which made his suspicions rise even further. He had expected to walk in and find the large, red creature battle hungry and ready to fight. Something was off. Najarin had been right, another creature was behind this and Maxxor needed to get back to Kiru City to let the wise muge know.

The rumble of a Mower cycle caught his attention and he turned around just in time to see his rival ride up in a gigantic cloud of dust. A frown creased the green Overworlder's brow. This was strange too, Chaor would never have been late for his own challenge.

"Leaving already Maxxor? The fun is just getting heated up!" the Underworlder taunted before he let loose a raging torrent of flame not giving his opponent time to retort. Maxxor dodged the attack with apparent ease and slid to a stop near the massive doors.

"No, I was only beginning to wonder if your pride would let you loose to an Overworlder on your own territory." he replied hotly before he punched the ground with both fists causing a massive rock wave to roll at a deadly pace towards Chaor. He managed to evade the assault with, perhaps, less finesse than the green creature but no less effectively.

"Ha! If you think that you can defeat me in the Underworld then you better get used to the scenery because this is going to be your grave! Emberswarm!" he bellowed ferociously as a swarm of fire erupted from his impressively muscled chest.

"Iron balls!" Maxxor countered as metal spheres flew from his eyes to negate the attack. The smoke cleared just in time for the black haired creature to roll away from the larger fist that whistled through the air right where his head had been not a second ago. Wasting no time he aimed a kick at the red creature's knees but was foiled when his calf was caught in the iron grip of a muscular tail. With a fierce roar the demon-like being tossed him across the room like a piece of discarded battle gear.

Maxxor tried to right himself in midair but to not much success as he landed badly and proceeded to roll for a few short seconds. Once he had regained his balance he leapt to his feet just in time to avoid the fireball launched his way. Deciding to fight fire with fire the green Overworlder launched a series of fireballs of his own in rapid succession followed up by another Rock wave.

The fireballs Chaor was able to deflect without much effort but it was the earth attack that caught him by surprise. The stones struck him square in the chest and launched him a satisfying distance. A small content smirk ghosted over Maxxor's features for a moment. Just as fast as it had come, it vanished because he knew that one hit wasn't _nearly_ enough to defeat the Underworlder.

"I have to say I'm disappointed Chaor. I was under the impression you were better than this. Showing up late to you own challenge, you should be ashamed of yourself." Maxxor baited the red creature and watched with satisfaction as he got the desired reaction. Chaor leapt from the ground tail lashing side to side furiously. A Whepcrack suddenly appeared his hand and that too lashed side-to-side indicating just how hot his rage ran.

"Do not mock me! I came the minute I received _your_ message to meet at the Deepmines!" he bellowed as he unleashed his newly revealed battle gear. Maxxor jumped to the side as his brow furrowed in confusion.

"_I_ never sent you a message, _I _only came here because _you_ sent me a note telling me to be here and come alone." his muscles bunched as he prepared to leap as the whepcrack descended upon him for the second time, "Are you telling me that you never sent that?"

"I would never send you anything!" the red creature roared as he unleashed another raging torrent of flame that Maxxor jumped to avoid.

"Wait, Chaor! Something isn't right and you need to calm down so we can figure this out!" his opponent only snarled and continued attacking unabated, "It might be a trap set by the M'arrillians, save your energy!" at last the Overworlder seemed to get through to him and the demon ceased his assault, the scowl continued to be present however. Before he could say anything else, a third voice interrupted him.

"You! What are you two doing here? Where is Theb-saar?" a high pitched female voice demanded authoritively. Both creatures turned to see a Danian entering the location. She appeared like most Danians with a diamond shaped head, slanted oval eyes, thin arms with bracers on the forearms and four thick legs attached to their thorax. The one thing that set her apart from the rest was the golden headpiece she wore and the gilded breastplate protecting her chest.

"I should be asking you the same question Danian. What are _you_ doing here?" chaor commanded rudely as he stood to his full height and towered over the insect-like creature. Maxxor had to admit she was either very brave or very foolish when she met the Underworlder's gaze steadily and held her ground.

"That is none of your business, _Underworlder_." she retorted and the red creature's face darkened into a dangerous glare. Again the Danian remained completely stationary not budging an inch. Chaor's tail began to swish back and forth a treacherous sign that he was perilously close to loosing control. The Overworld leader was just about to intervene when he was, again, interrupted.

"Is this some sort of trick Aszil?" a fourth voice boomed and when they all turned, they were met with a majestic blue creature. Out of all the creatures present he radiated the most grandiose aura. His scaly skin was a rich ultramarine blue, atop his head sat a golden crown with one jewel directly in its center the exact shade as the rest of him. As armour a purple scale like breastplate protected his, no doubt muscular torso and then continued down to his knees to serve as protection around his hips. Ruby red eyes glowed with anger as he regarded all the creatures gathered here and his indigo cape trimmed in gold shifted slightly as a powerful tail swished in agitation.

"Of course not. This is all your doing after all, it was _you_ who sent me those summons to come here, Theb-saar." the Danian replied hotly as she tore her gaze away from the large, red Underworlder in front of her. The Mipedian king growled deep in his throat and put a hand on the sabre strapped to his side that Maxxor had failed to spot earlier.

"Don't toy with me you Danian _scum_! It was _you_ who sent the letter saying you wanted to meet alone. The only reason I came was because if you were foolish enough to want to meet here alone, then the opportunity to finally rid us of your despicable kind's leader was too great to pass up." Theb-saar replied in his deep thunderous voice.

Now Maxxor knew without a doubt that something was amiss. The four leaders of the tribes of Perim were all gathered in one place, all having come at the request of a note sent from their rival tribe. It was likely the M'arrillians were up to their dirty tricks again, hiding just inside the Doors of the Deepmines.

"Wow, the big four all in one place. This must be my lucky day." an arrogant voice drawled from the shadows, "I have to be truly honest, I didn't think any of you were truly dumb enough to actually come alone. I suppose I just gave you too much credit." the voice continued and the four Tribal leaders could only watch as a ring of black flames encircled them. Only after that was done did the speaker reveal himself.

At first glance, Maxxor identified him as a human perhaps only a few years older than Tom. When he looked closer however he noticed some very important differences. The human's black hair seemed to have an otherworldly purple undertone. The only clothing Maxxor was able to clearly identify was the volumous black cloak he wore with the same purple sheen as his hair. The two key dissimilarities between Tom and this stranger were the rather deadly looking scythe he carried easily on one shoulder and the other was his eyes. Unlike the humans he knew, the whites were not white but a deep fathomless obsidian and his iris's were a shocking gold that seemed to shine against the darkness.

Immediately the Overworlder knew that this was no ordinary human, no he was something else. Whether whatever this stranger is, is a friend or an enemy had yet to be determined. Just in case, Maxxor refused to let his guard drop even a little bit, there was no telling what would transpire if he did.

"You apparently seem to know us, as well as claim to be the one who sent the notes. It would be very wise to introduce yourself and explain your intentions before I tear you asunder." Theb-saar growled and put a hand on the pommel of his sword for emphasis. The not-human turned to the Mipedian king with a wide grin and began to laugh. The blue creature did not take kindly to this and narrowed his blood-red eyes and tightened his grip on his sword.

"That's funny, I'll remember that one for later. Of course I didn't send those letters for no reason, it's quite the opposite actually, but before that I believe I have forgotten to introduce myself." he gave a mocking bow to all those present, "My name is Thade, I would ask you all to return the favour of presenting yourselves but that would be rather pointless." another arrogant smirk took over his face and it was at that moment that Maxxor knew this youth was bad news.

"You had better watch what you say human. This is the Underworld and all those in it answer to me and me alone." Chaor threatened him and the green Overworlder was somewhat surprised that he had managed to hold his peace for as long as he had. What astounded Maxxor even further however was that the not-human ignored Chaor.

"Now, back to the matter at hand. The reason I called you all here is simple really, I wanted to ask you all one easy question. What do you know of the Cothica?" at his enquiry the room grew deathly silent and the atmosphere became so tense you could cut it with a blade. "The usual it seems, that it's a shining, powerful orb. You're right of course, but there's more to it than just that. Once long ago before Perim existed there was one world, then some unknown phenomenon that is now referred to as the Coding took place.

"The world was split into two separate universes, the only thing that kept them connected was a single neutral plain of land. Now when the coding took place a man and a woman from the original plane got caught up in what happened and found themselves stranded on this new land. After some exploring they found they were the first to discover this new area. Inspired by the recent events that brought them there, they dubbed it, Chaotic." a smirk once again alit on Thade's face as he took in the reactions (or lack thereof in a couple cases) then he continued, "Soon after the novelty of what happened wore off they tried to find their way back home.

"Finding a… 'portal' I suppose you could say, they managed to successfully leave Chaotic but instead of going home like they'd expected they again made a discovery of the second world. Back then of course creatures were _complete _monsters and the two humans quickly returned from whence they came. Not long after that they found their way back to their real world.

"Once they had returned they began to recite the tale of their adventure only for the others to chalk it up as a lie, because apparently according to the friends, the man and the woman had never left at all. Their bodies remained to act as if nothing had happened at all. Thus they were forced to keep these new worlds a secret." Thade was cut off from telling the rest of his story when Chaor's patience ran out completely.

"I don't care about any of that crap! Tell us what this has to do with the Cothica before I rip out your entrails and strangle you with them!" he bellowed furiously taking a menacing step forward so he stood in a crouched battle ready stance. The boy didn't laugh like Maxxor had expected him to, instead he met the enraged Underworlder's glare levelly.

"If you were capable of keeping your loud mouth in check for a few more minutes, I was just about to get to that part." he replied with a slight edge to his voice while shifting his stance so his scythe glinted dangerously in the limited light. Chaor growled menacingly but otherwise held his tongue which surprised the green Overworlder.

"This man and woman frequently returned to Chaotic and the second realm they eventually named Perim. Eventually they grew close because of their shared secret and decided to take their relationship to the final stage. The woman became pregnant. Rejoicing, they returned to Earth to relate the good news to all their friends. It was then that they realized a very crucial fact.

"The child only existed in Chaotic.

"Slightly dismayed, the man and the woman had to spend the next nine months in Chaotic and Perim to wait out the pregnancy. It was lonely and it was hard. Finding food and avoiding the creatures of Perim was no easy task, especially for weak, powerless _humans_." Thade spat with disdain,

"At last, their hard work paid off and nine months later not one, but two children were born: twins, one boy and one girl. They named the girl… Cothica." Maxxor felt as if his entire would had just been flipped upside down and inside out. There was a stunned silence that seemed to ring in his ears. This couldn't be! The Cothica was a _human_ and not the orb they believed it to be for thousands of solons? Before Maxxor could ponder much more Thade continued with his story.

"Once the children were old enough their parents allowed them to visit Perim. The effect the girl had on the creatures was beyond incredible. They did not attack of show any form of aggression at all, though they did flock to her presence. Her aura she gave off was nothing short of life-giving, and the creatures drank it in greedily.

"Over the years the creatures gained intelligence and also discovered the power of mugic and with her guidance they learned to master it. Then on the eve of her nineteenth birthday the creatures pooled their energy together and as one cast the 'Orchestra of Eternity'. This granted her powers similar to the creatures but also different from them as well. The mugic also granted her eternal life and eternal youth, she would forever stay the tender age of nineteen. Unfortunately the mugic could not protect her from unnatural sources of death such as by battle gear.

"Over the course of many years her powers grew until she was able to cure illness with the touch of a finger. It was then that she deemed she had lingered long enough and that is when she created the orb that you all know of. This she gave to the tribes to share equally amongst themselves before she disappeared from the lands of Perim.

"What she didn't anticipate however was the tribes' inability to share. The clan you call the M'arrillians took the Cothica orb for themselves and barricaded themselves and it in their city without any of the other tribes knowing." a savage grin broke across his features as he recounted.

"You have told us a great deal about the female child, but you failed to mention anything about the boy." Aszil pointed out as she crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive manner.

"An excellent question." the black haired youth gestured to the Danian heir with the head of his weapon before he slung it over his shoulders as if it weighed nothing more than a feather., "While Cothica would be considered the light of Perim, her brother would be considered the dark. He preferred the shadows and fed off the fearful and the dying while convincing the living into violence and glorious chaos.

"Hateful of the light that his sister had grown into his whispers of encouragement to war took root. Eventually it was second nature for the creatures to fight each other. Then a rumour started that the M'arrillians held possession of the Cothica orb and the rest I'm sure you know. After that the brother too faded from history." Thade finished and there were a few moments of silence as the leaders all took in the information.

"The brother, what was his name? You claim to know so much of our history but you failed to mention this piece of information." Theb-saar spoke and once again he rested his hand on his sword. Maxxor never let his gaze linger away from this mysterious dark boy before him. He had a feeling he knew who this boy was now but the Overworlder hoped that he was wrong. A cocky smirk dominated his face and a cold glint flickered in the black depths of his eyes. Again he gave everyone a sweeping bow of mockery.

"I believe I have already introduced myself, haven't I?" at his words Maxxor's stomach dropped to his knees, it was just as he feared. Before any of them could do anything, Thade made a flourishing gesture with his scythe and opened a black portal with a purple sheen just like his clothes and hair. "Perim… will finally fall into complete darkness."

Author's Note

This is good right? Soultrancer and I outdid ourselves. And I have a need for writing out more chapter's. Soultrancer should be thanked for the concept of this chapter. Anyways, please review.


	4. A New Player Part 2

Chapter 2: A New Player. Part 2.

"Yes, I am on a role!" a triumphant chord was struck as I stood in a power stance, "Alright, let's keep it going, just a couple more matches and I can challenge a Code Master!" I rejoiced as I sat back down in front of my computer to continue my Chaotic game.

For the next couple of hours I sat rooted to the seat and what was happening on my computer monitor. I barely noticed when the sun slowly began to set and my room got darker. It was only when my stomach started to grumble that I realized I must have missed supper. I couldn't let my concentration waver just now, I was so close. Just a couple more turns and I would win the match.

It was down to our last two creatures, my Takinom and their Aivenna. even without knowing what mugic and battlegear my opponent had I could already tell that this was going to be a tough battle. Strumming a few chords out on my guitar to reassure myself that I could do this, I put all my concentration into this battle.

Since it was their attack the location came from their deck. I was slightly worried about that because it gave them an advantage over me in the tide of the fight.

Castle Rathwaq. I was both excited and dreading the map because the creature with the lowest power, which was Aivenna, dealt five less damage. But on the other hand, it gave the initiative to the creature who had the Earth element, which was also Aivenna.

Some time later after a long and arduous battle I managed a well earned victory with a Searing Symphony mugic. jumping up I pumped both fists air and strummed a part of "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi. Suddenly feeling very drained I flopped backwards onto my bed and stared at the poster covered ceiling. Posters from bands like Pink Floyd ranging all the way to Bach covered the white paint of my roof.

Music was my passion and I enjoyed all types but my personal preferences tended to land more in the Classical genre. Although I can say that I prefer some of the more popular artists. My older brother Eddie, better known to the public as the rock star, "Eddie X" tended to lean toward the other end of the spectrum with heavier music like Marilyn Manson and a frew others. He was even able to stand in for the lead Guitarist of Paramore, Josh Farro, during one of their smaller gigs (He really like their "_RIOT!_" Album). Every once in while I enjoyed listening to bands like that but since it was usually blaring from every corner of the house I usually preferred something a bit quieter.

_Ding._

I looked back to my computer screen to see a message alert on my desktop. My scanner beeped as well and I looked down to see the same message with some sort of code. Maybe it was some sort of prize for winning all those matches in a row. It seemed fishy though I've never heard about anything like before and it would be all too easy for a hacker to access my computer should I grant them permission to do so.

Rubbing my eyes I realized how tired I truly was. All that battling, planning, and scheming had taken a lot more out of me than I'd originally thought. Glancing once more at my computer screen and my scanner i decided to take the risk. If the message was on my scanner as well it had to be Chaotic related and the worst anyone could do is steal my cards. If that were to be the case I have hard copies of every card that I have in my online deck.

Entering the code into my scanner I waited to see what would happen. After a couple of seconds it shut off and my computer followed it shortly afterwards. Sighing heavily I tried to revive them both and after another couple second they both came back to life. The only problem was now there was a red circle with a single, diagonal line through the center. My online deck was locked.

Great, this is exactly what I thought would happen. Letting out another heavy sigh I was just about to give up and head to bed when an electric blue light suddenly engulfed me before I appeared in.. a white room.

"Wha-?" was all I could manage as I stared at the large area before me. All around there were tabes and large plasma flat screens to broadcast, some sort of battle. They appeared to be Chaotic creatures but I immediately banished that thought from my mind. There's no way anything like that could be possible... is there?

It was then that I noticed a bunch of hovering robots and one was heading straight for me! panicking, I looked left and right for a place to hide. Upon finding none I was forced to face it head on.

"WaterEcho welcome to Chaotic. Your first official Chaotic match begins in five minutes in the Oron Drone." I stared uncomprehendingly at the small robot before me talking in an electronic voice, "Please follow me to the Oron Drone."

A hand appeared out of no where to snap my mouth shut, "Dude, it's rude to stare you know." I turned to see a boy around my age with brown hair and hazel green eyes. He wore a yellow shirt underneath a green button up shirt and beige shorts that almost reached to his knees. "Judging by the fact that you look like you've never seen a floating robot before, I'm guessing this is your first time to the awesome place known as Chaotic?"

"WaterEcho, your match begins in less than five minutes. If you are late you automatically forfeit. Please follow me to the Oron Drone." the electronic voice of the machine reminded me.

"Uh, right, thanks. Sorry I uh..." I trailed off my brain was so scrambled with all this new information I couldn't form a coherent sentence.

"Actually, if it's cool with you bro, I'll tag along with ya. I got nothin' better to do right now and there's some stuff that you should know that the robots and Code Masters can't tell you. I'm Peyton by the way." he introduce himself and stuck out his hand for me to shake.

"Tyson." I replied taking his hand and shaking it firmly. I had a feeling that we were going to become good friends. After our introductions, Peyton then began to fill me in on the finer details about Chaotic and it players. He warned me about two in particular, Klay and Krystella and that I should avoid any and all contact with them.

Once we arrived at the Oron Drone the robot escort departed and Peyton said he would be waiting right here when I was finished. Taking a deep breath stepped in the doors that closed with a _woosh_ behind me.

(3rd person POV- Peyton)

Outside the Oron Drone, Peyton watched as Tyson docked his scanner and began choosing his creature, battlegear and mugic. Like the experienced Chaotic player he was, the brown haired boy analyzed the new player's choices with a critical eye.

Tyson appeared to be a M'arrillian user and Peyton was slightly put out by that fact. The invasion was still at the forefront of his memory and he hadn't been able to let go of his grudges just yet. I mean, would you? Doing his best to put those feeling asid,e Peyton noticed that the creature the blonde newbie had chosen was Gal'drad and he had a Mugician! The green eyed boy made a mental note to ask him later where he found one with a mugic counter.

As battlegear he chose a Mowercycle and the brown haired boy nodded his approval. His one mugic was Dischord of Flame and once again Peyton nodded his head in approval.

His opponent, a player by the name of GrimReaper0 didn't appear to be showing any mercy. He had chosen Pyrithion as his creature, a cyclance was chosen as his battlegear; and Song of Fury was his mugic. The seasoned player winced, this was going to be far from an easy fight.

"Players lock your decks." Both did as the Drone Master asked and the field was revealed. "WaterEcho since this is your first official Chaotic match, you will have the first attack. Please spin your location randomizer." He seemed a little lost at first but then he found it. After a while the randomizer stopped. "The location is, The Riverlands. Players place your hands on the cards of your attacking creatures."

(1st person POV-Tyson)

Doing as the Drone Master asked I placed my hand on the picture of Gal'drad. Immediately afterward the screens disappeared and I got a clear view of my opponent just before a blue light began to envelop his body.

Slowly it worked its way up his body until he had completely turned into his attacking creature, the snake-like Pyrithion.

I didn't get much time to ogle however when I discovered that the same thing was happening to me. I felt myself growing taller, my limbs becoming longer and less rigid. My eyesight was the most noticeable change however, I no longer saw in color or even black and white. Now I saw heat signatures and their forms were outlined with sound waves that reverberated off the other objects in the room. I could even see my opponent's heart beating.

"Sweet!" I exclaimed a minute before the area around us was transformed into the location of the Riverlands. Due to my new eyesight, I wasn't able to fully enjoy the scenery as I would have with my own but on the bright side, I wouldn't have to worry about it distracting me while I battled.

Taking a step forward I lost balance immediately and fell flat on my face. Stunned I was unable to coordinate my movements enough to get up. The tentacles that I now had for arms did not help much either. I learned then that I would never take my hands and opposable fingers for granted ever again.

Finally, I managed to get back on my feet only to be hit from behind and fall into a puddle that I had barely missed the first time.

"Looks like you're still getting used to your new body, sorry but I won't be giving you another chance to get back up. Your last attempt was just sad, you should do us both a favor and let me code you right here, right now." I didn't see him throw anything but my body reacted and I managed to throw myself away from the projectile to land neatly on my feet while using my tail for balance. Wait, I have a tail? Daring a glance back confirmed that, yes, I did have a fifth appendage. I have a tail! Grinning inwardly I turned back around just in time to see another fire ball heading directly for my head. Dodging to the side I managed to evade it but I stumbled for a few steps before I managed to regain my balance.

"Seems like you're catching on, shame this could have been a nice, short battle. You must be one of those people who likes to do things the hard way." Pyrithion- GrimReaper0 complained almost boredly as he continued to throw fire at me.

"Of course, because that's the only way you ever improve!" I countered in a strange echoing voice that was most definitely not my own. Side stepping another projectile I decided to follow through with the movement and whip one of my tentacle arms at him.

The snake-like being could barely do more that widen his eyes in surprise before my arm wrapped tight around him to trap his arms against his torso. Then with all my might I threw him into the nearest rock formation. Upon impact it cracked and then crumbled into boulders that fell and covered the area where it used to stand. I was worried for a few moments that I had overdone it until the rocks exploded in a shower of flames.

"Emberswarm!" my opponent cried and i found a horde of embers that seemed to buzz like a thousand wasps.

"Rip tide!" I countered and instantly I had two orbs of water in my hands (or where my hands _would_ be if I _had_ hands) that turned into geysers that erupted towards Pyrthion in two arcing waves that nulled his attack and continued on to blow the snake being away.

In the time it took me to blink he was slithering to the top of the rubble pile that he had been under only moments before. There he summoned what appeared to be some sort of rod before it disappeared again.

"I've had enough, so it's time to finish this. Smokescreen!" a cloud of this smoke swarmed over everything in its path towards me. It greatly hampered my ability to see form through the dampening effect of the cloud. The heat from the attack also made a perfect cover for my opponent to hide in where I would be unable to distinguish him from his surroundings.

A sharp sting on my back revealed him for a moment before he was gone again. A flame orb penetrated the smoke for a minute but it wasn't nearly enough for it to be of any help. That's it! The cloud! I have to get out! Good thing I equipped the battlegear that I did. It's _perfect_ for this! Now how do I summon-

My train of thought was abruptly cut off when what I wanted appeared directly in front of me. Grinning I got on and started it up. Revving the engine a bit for good measure I started to make my way out of the cloud.

"Windslash!" My eyes widened as the attack caught me by surprise and knocked me clear of my Mowercycle. My energy I could feel was starting to wane and the old dread of imminent defeat lingered in the pit of my stomach.

"I'll be honest, for your first time you're not bad. Newbies usually end up being coded within the first couple minutes of the match. So congratulations, you beat the record." the cold voice sounded with a tone of grudging respect hidden deep under frigid mockery. "I'm still going to win this though."

I noticed then that his wind attack from before was beginning to make the smoke disperse and my eyesight was beginning to come back bit by bit. Raising my head just enough to look around I saw him coiled around a rock overhanging from a ledge. Pushing myself to my feet, this last little bit was going to be all or nothing. I had only enough energy left for a couple more attacks and it all depended on them.

"Riptide!" I called and once again the water responded and launched itself at the snake-like being upon my command. Although he tried GrimReaper0 was unable to completely dodge the attack and was smashed against the rock on which he was perched, "Dischord of Flame!" the mugic activated and the seven notes that represented it sounded throughout the location. Invigored with the new power over fire I put all my energy into this one last attack, "Torrent of Flame!" the last thing I saw was the sight of a cold explosion.

(LINE BREAK)

The next thing I knew I was back in the Oron Drone and staring down at my first opponent who had reverted back to his human form. Upon realizing that I was still Gal'drad I was about to start panicking that I might stay that was forever until the code started to dissolve my M'arrillian form and restore my original human one.

"The victor is WaterEcho." The Drone Master declared in his deep electronic voice. Grabbing my scanner from the dock I made my way over to my opponent.

"Hey, good game, I thought you were totally gonna win for a good while there. My name's Tyson." I congratulated him and held out my hand for him to shake. He gave me a cold and calculating stare that I returned with a good natured smile.

His eyes were a mix of umber and a hazel that almost seemed to give them a orange tint. It was a startling stark contrast to his hair that flowed in soft waves down to his shoulders that were covered with a dark blue t-shirt underneath a navy button up shirt with red plaid as accents. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows revealing forearms that even though he couldn't have been much older than me had definite muscle tone to them.

"Jacob." he replied shortly and took my hand in a firm grip before dropping it like it was something disgusting and walking out of the Drone without another word. I followed after him intending to see where he was headed but when I exited the building, the only person outside was Peyton.

"Dude! That was freakin' _awesome_! Just when it looked like you were about to go down, you came back with your Dischord of Flame mugic and took him out with an awesome Torrent of Flame! That reminds me, you gotta tell me where you found a copy of Gal'drad that has a Mugician on him." the brown haired boy gushed excitedly as he fell into step beside me as we made our way back to the main building. "Your name, WaterEcho, that sounds really familiar. Do you play online matches?" he asked in a more serious tone.

"Yeah, all the time. Maybe we've had a couple battles or something, what's your name?"

"I am the Ultra-Super-Awesome, PeytonicMaster!" he replied proudly and my eyes lit up with recognition about a story my brother told me once.

"You're the guy who won the backstage passes off my brother in a Chaotic match!" I blurted before I could stop myself. There were a few beats of silence as Peyton stared at me in disbelief.

"No way... Eddie X is your.. _brother_?! _Dude_, that is so _totally AWESOME!_" He exclaimed with excitement... a little _too much_ excitement.

"Yeah he is, now shush! I don't want that to be broadcasted all over Chaotic." I did my best to quieten the large boy in front of me. A yawn suddenly stretched my jaw to its fullest extent and I did as manners dictated and covered my mouth. "With all that adrenaline pumping through my system, I forgot how tired I was. How do I get out of here?"

Peyton grinned lopsidedly, "Right this way my friend."

After porting back home I was so tired I didn't even bother changing my clothes. The only thing I did was take my boots off before falling onto my bed completely exhausted. I was asleep the second before my head hit the pillow.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep before I started dreaming.

_I dreamt I was in a circular room made of warm brown bricks and the walls in the walls were five stained glass windows of a multitude of colors all depicting one scene. The five tribes of Perim all united under the Cothica. There wasn't anything to specifically label or identify it as the Cothica but... somehow I just knew. Directing my gaze upward I noticed there was a sixth window on the celling. This one, however, was different from the rest._

_It was primarily white, but in the center was a silver pentagon with each of the tribes symbols in the corners. Glowing royal blue for the Overworld; vibrant ruby red for the Underworld; a shining yellow for the Mipedians; a rich brown for the Danians; and a dazzling azure for the M'arrillians. It was a true work of art and I felt like I could stare at it for the rest of my life and be completely content with that decision._

"_Welcome, dear child" a clear, almost melodic voice rang out from the empty room, "You have my apologies for summoning you here so abruptly and without notice but I would not have if my need were not dire." I searched the empty room for the owner of the voice but my gaze was always continually drawn to the ceiling. "A great darkness is starting to gather over Perim the likes of which has never been seen before. I fear that the creatures of Perim, who I have come to see as my children, will not be able to overcome it on their own." The light shining through the window began to fade, "There is much more I wish to tell you, but my power is limited on Earth and already it has begun to wane." Her voice too sounded softer and farther away than it had originally, "Find this room again in Perim and I shall tell you everything you wish to know... Farewell young human and I wish you luck..." her voice faded away completely and didn't have time to fully form a coherent thought before I'd once again dropped off to sleep._


End file.
